


Not all heroes wear capes

by MedeaV



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky Barnes Has Nightmares, F/M, Fluff, Penguins, Snuggling, There's A Tag For That
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 20:38:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17433122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedeaV/pseuds/MedeaV
Summary: Bucky has trouble sleeping and maybe, possibly, a crush on a certain penguin.





	Not all heroes wear capes

There are voices coming from next door, quiet voices, as she notices sleepily. It doesn't alert her, which means that it's probably not real people standing there. She trusts her instincts. There are other noises. One voice. Oh, probably the TV.

She pats the other side of the bed but already knows. It's cold outside the blanket, the scrappy apartment with its badly insulated windows. She slips out nevertheless. At least the fuzzy socks keep her feet warm.

There are animal noises behind the door, chittering birds or something. She wraps herself in a cardigan and pulls the door open, blinded by the light. The doorframe steadies her as she leans against it. The TV is on indeed, and the ceiling light as well, which makes it a lot harder to adjust. A voice talks about waddling. She grins. Oh, it's always penguins.

“Didn't mean to wake you,” the figure on the couch says, legs stretched out all the way, eyes on the TV. She shrugs, spotting the teapot on the couch table. An entire pot. Oh, this is not going to be a quick affair. She grabs a beer from the fridge and a mug from the cupboard.

He puts his feet down so she can slip under the blanket next to him. “You know that no one else drinks beer and tea together?”

“I'm sure someone does,” she offers, handing him the bottle without even thinking about it. “Lots of people out there.”

He flips the cap off with his metal thumb. She takes it back, pointedly looking at the penguins on the screen. “That bad?”

He sighs and says nothing, sliding his right arm around her shoulders. She snuggles against him because he's warm under the blanket. “No judgement, but no one else uses cooking soup and penguin documentaries as a coping mechanism.”

He snorts. “Of course they do. You think I got that idea on my own?”

She grins, leaning forward to pour herself tea. “Why, did Sam give you soup recipes?”

“Course not,” he replies roughly, staring at the swimming penguin. “But the documentaries, it's… there's something soothing about the absence of people.”

“Animals are brutal, though,” she remarks, settling back. “But somehow in a way that's- there's a point to it, right? Survival. It's just natural.”

His thumb strokes absentmindedly over her arm. “Guess so.”

She sighs, sipping on the beer until the tea has cooled down. “You're not coming back to bed, are you?”

He snorts. “Oh, who just settled on the couch with a beer?”

“I could just chug it away,” she offers. “Though that would result in very unladylike belching.”

“No,” he replies. “Not coming back.”

“Okay.” She leans her head on his shoulder. “Let's stay here. Wanna talk about it?”

He hesitates. The penguin is being caught by a killer whale. Brutal indeed. “Don't know yet.”

She closes her eyes. The sleep is still in her bones, just under the surface. “Mhm. Tell me when you do.”

“I'm not gonna wake you  _ again _ ,” he stresses, fingers combing back her hair. He's warm and awfully comfortable.

She doesn't fall asleep, knows she won't, not in this position, with this background noise. But a little dozing is nice. Though she eventually remembers her tea and sits back up to drink. They're going to be here for a while if he already made a pot.

“I'm kind of worried I find violence this soothing,” he confesses, not looking at her. “I mean, that penguin just got eaten by an orca and it doesn't bother me at all.”

“Come on, there's dozens of them and they all look the same,” she returns. “And the orca has to eat, of course. Can't be cute waddling forever.”

“Shouldn't you have empathy with it, though?” he asks. “Not the predator, the prey. I think I should. Guess I've just seen too much, been on the wrong side too much.”

“You know you're not  _ broken _ .” She puts her head back on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his chest. “Not beyond repair. It's different but it doesn't need to be fixed. Just so much that you're comfortable.”

He snorts. “Yeah, doesn't feel comfortable.”

The scene changes to a penguin hunting for fish. The prey can be the predator, too. “Didn't have a great week either,” she admits, staring at the screen. “Wasn't sleeping particularly well.”

He hums, his chest vibrating with it. “Tell me about it.”

“Car bomb,” she says. “Didn't kill- but it could have. And some people got hurt.”

“Not your fault,” he replies. “God, I hate it when you say that, I take it back.”

She tilts her head to grin up at him. “Oh, so now it is my fault?”

He snorts. “Course not. But it doesn't change how you feel, so…”

She settles back, looking at the screen. “You know, I- sometimes, I feel really ugly on the inside. And then I just pretend that I don't, that I'm fine.”

“You don't have to,” he replies. “Not now.”

It's so natural to her, opening up to comfort him, so that he can open up as well, but it also comforts her. It's easier to pretend it's just for him. “You know what's the funniest thing?”

He turns to look at her questioningly. She grins, sitting up. “You're the only person I fully believe when you say that.”

“Wanna know what's even funnier?” he asks back, stroking her cheek with his right thumb. “You're the only person I fully believe when you say you understand.”

She shivers, hugging herself back to him. Sometimes, it's better not to talk. He shifts to grab the remote. “Okay, I wanna show you something.”

“Hair braiding tutorials,” she ventures, in an effort to reduce the emotional gravity. “Gardening tips. More penguins.”

He snorts. “It actually is more penguins. Just wait.”

She waits, debating with herself for the millionth time whether she really is okay with this openness, this emotional vulnerability, this dependence. As if she would change her mind  _ now _ . After all this time. But the voice in the back of her head will probably never go away.

“It reminded me of you,” he states while starting the video. “Just wait, I'll explain.”

There's a bunch of penguins waddling down to the water, through the snow, but a bird is in their way, a Giant petrel, as the narrator supplies. The predator. The penguins chitter incessantly, trying to hurry away but falling all over themselves. Of course, with those feet. The petrel grabs one of the fallen by the neck, trying to pull it away, but the feathers slip through its beak. The penguins quickly form a defensive circle, pressing together and making themselves as tall as possible. The petrel circles them, waiting for a chance.

Then, on the left, another penguin shows up, a different kind,  _ Adélie _ , as the narrator supplies. It comes rushing in, as well as penguins can rush, and the petrel backs away almost immediately. The Adélie plants itself firmly in front of the protective circle, staring the petrel down. The penguins continue to chitter as the petrel gives up and flies away, so that they can waddle down to the water happily, at least until the next problem shows up.

She snorts when the video ends. “Really? How very charming.  _ The feistiest penguin of all  _ just reminded you of me, is that it?”

“She’s so small!” he defends. “She's smaller than the other penguins but when she shows up, just one of her, mind you, the petrel instantly goes  _ nope _ , definitely not fucking with  _ her. _ ”

She grins. “I love how you immediately gendered it.”

“That's clearly a female, I don't care what the narrator says,” he returns. “Well, yeah. Anyway, that's kind of your job in a nutshell.”

“You'll be disappointed to hear that,” she warns. “But I don't actually save penguins.”

He snorts, turning to lean back on the armrest, pulling her on top of him. “Oh, shut up. Just admit I'm right.”

She grins, pecking his nose. “Well, Barnes. Not all heroes wear capes.”

“Oh no,” he interrupts. “Don't say it. Don't.”

Gleefully, she does. “Some wear tuxedos.”

He groans, head dropping back. “Wow.”

She smirks, resting her head on his chest. His heartbeat is very calming to her. This way, she might actually fall asleep, and she certainly wouldn't mind. “Nat?”

She raises her head. He grins. “She was waddling way more elegantly than the other penguins.”

She groans, stabbing him between the ribs. “Wow. Just go to sleep before I have to hear any more about your new crush.”

**Author's Note:**

> Jumped in as secret santa for lutual on tumblr.  
> The penguin video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7PlUGbsXlQ


End file.
